Museums are complex, interconnected environments where many disciplines come together in the service of the public. They are shaped as much by the communities they serve as by the people who work within them, including educators, curators, researchers, artists, cultural practitioners, activists, elders, parents, operations specialists, and administrators.
In a year marked by social, cultural, political, and technological uncertainty, MESC invites museum professionals to pause and consider a simple yet powerful question: What becomes possible when we come together to examine where our work overlaps, where we converge?
Convergence is about intersection. It is about crossing roles, departments, disciplines, institutions, and lived experiences to understand better how museum education is practiced, supported, challenged, and sustained. At a time when museum educators are being asked to do more with fewer resources, this year’s Annual Institute centers collaboration as a critical strategy for resilience, relevance, and impact.
The Annual Institute is a one-day, in-person gathering that reflects the diversity of museums and cultural institutions across Southern California. Through workshops, panels, presentations, and roundtable discussions, participants will share concrete practices, case studies, tools, and resources that support cross-departmental collaboration, community-centered work, accessibility, advocacy, and professional sustainability.
During this one-day event, we will examine intersecting practices and voices in museum education, share strategies to advance and foster collaboration, and build a stronger network of museum educators in Southern California.
Admission includes breakfast, lunch, and access to all conference sessions. We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 Annual Institute!
Register now to secure your spot and join us in empowering museum educators to inspire action and create change.
**Member’s don’t forget to use your discount code!
SCHEDULE
9 AM: Doors Open
9 AM - 10 AM: Breakfast, Networking, & Resource Courtyard
10 AM - 10:30 AM: Welcome
10:30 AM - 12 PM: Keynote Panel
12 PM - 2 PM: Lunch, Activities, Resource Courtyard, & Open Galleries
2 PM - 3 PM: Breakout Sessions
3 PM - 3:30 PM: Closing
4 PM: Happy Hour
**Members - don’t forget to check your email for your unique code!
Keynote Speakers
Su Oh
Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic GardenSu Oh is Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden and the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation, a public private partnership. A creative and collaborative leader with more than 30 years of experience in arts, culture, and education, she has led large-scale public engagement, exhibition, and learning initiatives at major cultural institutions across Los Angeles. Previously, Su served as Senior Vice President of Education, Exhibitions, and Community Engagement at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, including the La Brea Tar Pits, where she expanded signature programs, forged cross-sector partnerships, and advanced equity-driven community engagement and interpretive practices. A native Angeleno, Su holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master’s degree in Museum Education and Leadership from Bank Street College of Education.
Director of Education, Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic GardenBrooke Applegate
Brooke is the Director of Education at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, where she leads a diverse portfolio of programs rooted in the power of interpretive storytelling at the universal intersections of history, culture, and science. Her mission to bridge the gap between complex subjects and public curiosity is fueled by a decade spent managing historical walking tours across Los Angeles, as well as leadership roles at the La Brea Tar Pits, Kidspace Children’s Museum, and TreePeople. Brooke’s current work explores how public institutions can address critical modern issues through inspiration rather than "doom," encouraging small but meaningful acts of stewardship. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from California State University, Northridge.
Breakout Sessions & Speakers
Meant to Degrade: The Care and Interpretation of Educational Objects and Collections
Every museum holds a teaching collection—but how do we steward it across departments and disciplines? This roundtable explores convergence in practice, where Education, Collections, and curatorial teams collaborate to care for and activate hands-on objects. Through case studies, examples of tangible interpretive techniques, and open discussion, participants will examine shared stewardship models and rethink educational object use to expand access while balancing preservation, interpretation, and community engagement.
Presented by Eliana Zacarias, Curator of Education & Erica Barajas, Associate Curator of Education at the San Bernardino County Museum
About the Speakers:
Eliana Zacarias is the Curator of Education the San Bernardino County Museum who has a passion for museum education specializing in public programs and community building. She graduated from San Francisco State University with an M.A. in Museum Studies and has a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Art History from Pacific Union College. Her educational background drives her interest in the intersections of art, public service, and education. Her work in the past 12 years within the museum field has revolved around the development of equitable and inclusive educational experiences for all community members.
Erica Barajas is the Associate Curator of Education at the San Bernardino County Museum. She is an Inland Empire native who is truly passionate about community and access to alternative learning venues. A proud graduate from UC Santa Barbara, she was inspired to pursue a degree in Museum Studies after growing up within museum spaces and volunteering at the San Bernardino County Museum while in high school. As an educator, she has communicated in various museums, nature centers, and national parks where she developed engaging programs, virtual content, and hands-on creative activities to express the importance of art, science, and environmental stewardship in her communities.
Skirball Cultural Center In-School Residency: What Do You Carry With You?
Presented by Anna Lund, Education Programs Specialist at the Skirball Cultural Center
This hands-on workshop takes a closer look at the Skirball Cultural Center's In-School Residency Program and offers educators, artists, and community specialists a scalable framework for developing multi-week residencies that connect museum collections with students' personal identities. Using the Skirball’s "What do you carry with you?" prompt as a catalyst, participants will collaborate to design mini-curricula that align institutional goals with ethnic studies and social-emotional learning. By bridging the gap between specific cultural narratives—such as Jewish history—and universal student experiences, attendees will learn to center identity-based pedagogy and creative practice within sustainable community engagement models.
About the Speaker:
Anna Lund (she/her) is an Education Programs Specialist at the Skirball Cultural Center, where she oversees the development and implementation of curricula and programming for grades 5 – 12. Her work includes school tours, in-school residencies, and professional development for staff. Anna previously served as an Advisory Committee Member for TeenTix LA and worked as an educator, program coordinator, and artist with Seattle’s Taproot Theatre Company. She holds a BFA in Acting and a degree in Honors Humanities from Azusa Pacific University.
Co-Creating the “Living Archive”: Designing New Pathways for Museum Education
Presented by Dr. Kidogo A. Kennedy, Director, Academic Programs and Partnerships at LACMA
Step into a dynamic conversation about what museums can become—not just places that preserve history, but vibrant spaces where knowledge is continuously created, shared, and reimagined. In this hands-on workshop and conversation, participants will explore how museums function as “living archives”—active evolving ecosystems shaped by the people, stories, and communities they serve. Using an ecological systems framework, this session guides you in mapping relationships across your institution’s role and beyond, revealing pathways for deeper collaboration, meaningful partnerships, and innovative approaches to museum education.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Kidogo A. Kennedy is an educator, strategist, and meaning-maker utilizing communication as both art and infrastructure. An alum of CSU, Los Angeles (B.A. in Speech; M.A. Organizational Communication) and USC (Ed.D. in Educational Psychology), she has spent years in higher education moving fluidly between classroom and boardroom grounding her work in a deep understanding of how people learn, relate, and transform together. Now serving as Director, Academic Programs and Partnerships at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), she brings her signature blend of rigor and imagination to the museum ecosystem building bridges between institutions of higher education, communities, and the expansive possibilities of public scholarship integrating academia and museums into experiential journeys that are bold and alive.
Poster Presentations
Check us out during Lunch!
We’re excited to highlight the dynamic group of presenters participating in the 2026 Annual Institute: Convergence — Collaboration as Critical Strategy.
This year’s poster presentations showcase a range of cross-disciplinary approaches and emerging practices shaping the museum field today. Here’s a sneak peek of topics that will be presented:
“Mirroring You and Me: Critical Considerations of One Museum Education Department’s program via a Learning History” presented by Katrina A. Romero Tran, EdD
“Yo También Pertenezco: Latine/x Representation and the Search for Belonging in Museums” by Kate Felipe
“Exhibiting Student Voices: Using Thematic Exhibitions to Invite Expression” presented by Chloe Landis & Meghan Rhoades
“The Neighborhood Knows: Creating Community Connections” presented by Stevy Acevedo & Lauren Porras
“Connecting Communities and Classrooms: Perspectives on Civic Art Engagement to Foster Diversity in Visual Arts Education” presented by Cat Chiu
Stay tuned as we highlight more voices shaping the field—and get inspired by ideas in motion.